> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://itsfoss.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Lubuntu 26.04 LTS Ships LXQt 2.3, and Keeps Wayland on the Backburner - URL: https://itsfoss.com/news/lubuntu-26-04-lts/ - Published: 2026-04-24T00:18:46.000Z - Updated: 2026-04-24T00:18:46.000Z - Description: The lightweight Ubuntu flavor hits the 30 release mark with a refreshed app stack and Wayland support still in the works. - Author: Sourav Rudra - Tags: News [Lubuntu](https://lubuntu.me/?ref=itsfoss.com) is an official [Ubuntu flavor](https://ubuntu.com/desktop/flavors?ref=itsfoss.com) that uses LXQt as its default desktop environment. It is one of the lighter options in the Ubuntu family, built around keeping resource usage low without stripping out the things people actually need from a desktop, and part of what makes it appealing is its approach to hardware. [LXQt](https://lxqt-project.org/?ref=itsfoss.com) has a noticeably lower memory footprint compared to heavier environments like GNOME or Plasma, which makes Lubuntu a reasonable choice for people running older or low-spec machines. And now, the project has reached its 30th release with Lubuntu 26.04 LTS "*Resolute Raccoon*." ## Lubuntu 26.04 LTS: What's New? ![this screenshot of lubuntu 26.04 lts shows the app launcher on the left and the fastfetch output on the right](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2026/04/lubuntu-26-04-fastfetch-output.png) Well, for starters, Lubuntu 26.04 LTS ships **Linux kernel 7.0**, a major jump from the 6.8 kernel in the previous LTS. We have [dedicated coverage](https://itsfoss.com/news/linux-kernel-7-0-release/) on it, but the relevant bits are as follows. 👇 There's expanded temperature monitoring for Intel Arc GPUs, full audio support for the upcoming Intel Nova Lake CPUs, early AMD Zen 6 performance profiling groundwork, and XFS getting a self-healing daemon for metadata failures. Being an LTS, this Lubuntu release **gets updates and security patches until April 2029**. [LXQt 2.3](https://lxqt-project.org/release/2025/11/05/release-lxqt-2-3-0/?ref=itsfoss.com) ships as the default environment here. The *Desktop Switcher* in LXQt Panel now works with Wayland compositors that support the `ext-workspaces-v1` protocol, covering [labwc](https://github.com/labwc/labwc?ref=itsfoss.com) and [niri](https://github.com/niri-wm/niri?ref=itsfoss.com). Similarly, PCManFM-Qt gets a "*Safely Remove*" option in the side pane context menu, QTerminal adds emoji flag support, and the *Archiver* gains [LZ4](https://github.com/lz4/lz4?ref=itsfoss.com) support. Power management also picks up an option to turn off the monitor for Wayland sessions on KWin, niri, and Hyprland. ![this picture shows the desktop view of lubuntu 26.04 lts with the app launcher and file manager open](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2026/04/lubuntu-26-04-desktop-view.png) A **Wayland session is not on the ISO** as the team could not get it ready in time. Though they do mention that it may come as a PPA later and that they will announce it if that happens. This release also adds full support for **Intel Core Ultra Xe2** integrated graphics and **Intel Arc B580** and **B570** "*Battlemage*" discrete GPUs, and VA-API hardware-accelerated video encoding and decoding is enabled by default for Intel and AMD users. There's **some rustification in this release** too, as [sudo-rs](https://itsfoss.com/sudo-vs-sudo-rs/) takes over as the default sudo utility, and [rust-coreutils](https://github.com/uutils/coreutils?ref=itsfoss.com) replaces GNU coreutils as the default for common command-line tools. We wrap this up with the updated stack of applications and toolingL - [APT 3.2](https://itsfoss.com/news/apt-3-2-release/) - Firefox 149 (*Snap*) - LibreOffice 26.2 - FeatherPad 1.6.3 - VLC 3.0.23 - Discover 6.6.3 (*app store*) ## 📥 Download Lubuntu 26.04 LTS If you liked what this LTS release offers, then you can go to Lubuntu's [official website](https://lubuntu.me/downloads/?ref=itsfoss.com) to download the ISO for this release. Alternatively, you can also visit the Ubuntu [release portal](https://cdimage.ubuntu.com/lubuntu/releases/resolute/?ref=itsfoss.com) to get the same. [Lubuntu 26.04 LTS](https://lubuntu.me/downloads/?ref=itsfoss.com) **For existing users**, the Lubuntu team has provided [an upgrade guide](https://manual.lubuntu.me/stable/D/upgrading.html?ref=itsfoss.com) that will take you through the process to get Lubuntu 26.04 LTS.